Process of treating porous masses



Examiner Cross Reference' L. S. WERT;

EATING POROUS MASSES Filed Dec. 18, 1939 SHC March 9, I* 1943.

PROCESS oF TR 106. COMPOSWONS,

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Patented Mar. 9,- 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,313,109 PROCESS F TREATSHLWG- POROUS MASSES Louis S. Wertz, Cleveland, Ohio p Application December 18, 1939, Serial No. 309,800 7 claims. ci s1 s6) f AThis inventio-nis a continuation in part of the copending application of Louis S. Wertz, Serial No. 195,007, led March 10, 1938, now Patent No. 2,229,264, and relates to a process of treating porous'masses; such as masses of earth, rock, con- 5W- crete,.and the like, to render them solid, dense and impervious to moisture. Y

It is an object of the presen t i n v ention to prov1de a processftet'g'msgesuowfeath, rock, cOncrm-snstiilunessa.are muy of'lrltively low .structural strength, so thattheeporosity and voids existing'"naturallyf finschmg masses will Nbe"sulzistantially lill'd land the mas'ss- N"liiotlie'i" 'lieft' isto provide a pro'ss'bf'treat- 1.5;

ing such masses by which substantially all the voids and interstices thereof will be filled whereby the masses will be rendered impervious to the action of Water.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a process of solidifying and densifying such porous masses which will increase the strength of such masses suilciently to enable them to be used as the foundation for structures such as dams, bridges, abutments, walls, etc.

Another object is to provide a process of treating masses of earth, rock, concrete, and the like, to permit their use for foundation purposes, which process is eicient, economical, and relaf tively simple to carry out, and which process does not involve the use of complicated or highly specialized apparatus.

' Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description accompanied by the drawing, in which like parts throughout the several views will be indicated by the same reference numerals.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic sectional 4o view of a region of earth or rock, with a dam thereon, after treatment according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevational view with parts brokenaway of a portion of the grout nipple or nozzle;

Figs. 3 and 4 are cross sections through a re gion such as shown in Fig. 1, showing steps in the method of treatment according to the present invention;

Fig. 5 is a cross section similar to Figs. 3 and 4, illustrating a region after treatment;

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view of apparatus which may be used to carry out the present in# vention, including the grout gun and nozzle.

In brief, the present process of treating masses of earth, rock, concrete, and the like, comprises forcing into such mass, in a Suitable manner; repair materials which will ll theA voids and interstices of the mass and render it solid and dense, and impervious to the action of water. By varying the character of the repair material and the'steps of the process, many desirable results may be obtained. For example, a mass of natural rock having suflicient inherent strength to permit its use as a foundation for a dam or other structure -may be sufliciently porous to permit percolation of water therethrough, or it may be locatedabove or adjacent an underground stream of water or a mass of porous or loose mass'of a weak'character, and which permits the passage of water therethrough. With the present process the mass is sealed and the flow o'f'percolating Water cut off by lling the voids with a suitable repair material, which may be of strengthening nature. A dam or other structure may then be built thereon and the necessity of excavation to remove the large masses of rock and` material is obviated. Another illustration is that of a mass of'earth, clay, or the like of lov! strength upon which or at the location of which it is desired to build a concrete or other structure. By the use of the process embodying the present invention this mass may be treated with a repair material having a strength which may be comparable to that of the structure which it is desired to build and which will be substantially impervious to moisture, so that it will become a rm and enduring foundation for the structure, the necessity of excavation being again obviated. A further illustration is that of an existing concrete structure which through age accompanied by disintegration has become relatively weak and unsafe. Such a mass may be treated with a repair material having a relatively high structural strength and the structure may thus be restored to a condition where it is more solid, more dense, or stronger than when originally built.

Grouting foundation locations at the present time is carried out by forcing at relatively low pressures a very thin slurry of cement and water into the earth at the foundation location and subsequently repeating the grouting of the same region with thicker slurries until the location has suflicient strength. According to the present inventicn any given region need only be grouted with one repair material. The type of repair materials suitable for use in carrying out the process of the present invention is described more Yfully hereinafter. .A

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The process of the present invention will be better understood by a short illustrative description of how it may be carried out. A plurality of holes may be formed as by drilling in the surface of the mass to be treated to a suitable l depth, such as 2 or 3 feet, and any loose material may be removed from the holes. The holes may be washed by water to displace loose material from the porous*honeycombed interior of the mass and to observe the relative void sizes in the region to be treated. Air under pressure may be supplied to the holes to drive substan tially all the washing liquid from the mass so that the repair material will not be diluted and will form a better bond tothe base material. A repair material is next supplied to the holes under pressure to force it into all the interstices, voids, etc. in the region surrounding the hole.

The repair material, if of the type which requires setting, may be allowed to set for the proper time period and then the process of forming the holes, washing, filling, and setting may be repeated, the holes in each case being formed for a suitable depth increment such as 2 to 3 ft.orso.

With reference to the drawing, Fig. 1 showsrather diagrammatically a region which has been treated by theprocess of the present invention.

It may be seen that substantially all of the region upon which a structure such as a dam 2 Ais to be built has been treated through a plurality of holes I down to bedrock, which is indicated by A. After such a treatment' the region is solid and dense and is impervious to the ilow of percolating waters. Y

The disposition of the holes may be ofany desired arrangement, but-preferably the holes are disposed' in a predetermined pattern so that substantially all the mass will be treated. It may be advantageous to drill the holes more or less vertically, as in the case of a pier and :for foundation work; or the holes maybe made in 'a'horizontal direction, an example of this" being in the vertical side wall of a bridge support or pier. Arches and tunnels may generally best be treated in a direction approximately normal to the surface. However, it is desirable that an individual pattern be laid out for each type of structure or mass to be treated. I

The displacement 'of loose particles of material present in the mass by washing liquid and the admission of a gas such as air under pressure, renders the bond of the repair material to the mass more effective. The washing liquid is preferably heated water. It is advantageous to force the repair material into the holes'in the mass without rst diminishing the gas pressure, which may be done by the use of suitable apparatus such as described below. f

Apparatus whichmay be employed` is shown diagrammatically in Fig. 6 and may 'comprise an air compressor I1 communicating with a suitable grout gun'or mixing chamber 3 by means of a pipe line 4 and a grout nipple or intrusion nozzle 5, which may be connected to the grout gun by a suitable pipe or flexible hose line Ii.

Fig. 2 shows an enlarged view of the intrusion nozzle which comprises a hollow pipe or conduit 1 having an outwardly extending iiange 8 at the jacent the collar II extending to the'threaded portion of the pipe 1 is a metallic sleeve I2 provided with an outwardly extending ange I3 adjacent the rubber collar II and an outwardly extending flange I4 adjacent the ring 9. By means of this arrangement the nozzle may be inserted into an aperture and by turning the handles I0, the sleeve I2 will be forced against the ilexible collar II, thereby expanding the same into engagement with the walls of the aperture to anchor the nozzle therein. When the nozzle is anchored in a hole the repair material supplied to the nozzle from the gun leaves the nozzle at its mouth end inwardly of the anchor portion and is forced into voids, fissures, and pockets which are in the region surrounding the hole into which the nozzle has been inserted. i

Figs. 3, 4, and 5 show the region at various steps in the treating and solidifying process. First a hole I is formed, as by drilling to a predetermined depth level in the mass, as shown in Fig. 3.' 'I'hen the nozzle 5 may be inserted and anchored therein, preferably at the outer end of the hole. 'I'he hole may be flushed with washing liquid to displace the loose material, said liquid being supplied through a pipe or flexible hose line I5, preferably after being heated by passage through a water heater I6 of any suitable type. *i f f i By observing the pressure and the flow of the water during the washing period, a relative measure of the porosity and void size of the particular region may be obtained. In the preferred practice of this invention, the pressure and iiow of the water through the nozzle 5 is observed, and if there is a relatively high flow for a given pressure, or if the pressure for a given flow is rela.- tively low, the region under test hasrelatively large voids.

When the character of the voids 'and inter- I relatively small voids and interstices and not have a tendency to settle and obstruct the passages. If the mass being treated has only voids and interstices of relatively small cross-sectional areas, the material may have more water per unit volume so that it will ow and iill voids at relatively great distances from the nozzle through which it is introduced.

Fig. 6 shows the repair material line 6 con- `nected to the nozzle, but it mayibe seen that the water line I5 may be readily interchanged therewith. The lines 6 and I5 carry suitable couplings or fittings for attachment to or removal from the nozzle 5. After the washing and testing of the structure as above described, a blast of compressed air may be admitted through the nozzle to force the washing liquid out of the mass or structure, such compressed air being communicated to the nozzle from a suitable air compressor I1 through a pipe or flexible hose line I8 adapted to be connected to the nozzle at a fitting I9, as shown in Fig. 6.

In order to change the connection to that shown in Fig. 6 and admit repair material to the nozzle, a valve 20 on the Water line I 5 may be closed, the line I5 disconnected from the nozzle, and the hose or pipe line 6 connected to the nozzle.

By opening a valve 2| on the line 6 and a valve 22 on the nozzle in front of the fitting I9, the repair material may beadmitted from the gun 3 to the nozzle without first diminishing the air pressure and the repair material will be forced through the nozzle into the region surrounding the hole.

To permit the repair material to remain in place until it has set and become firmly bonded to the existing mass, it is preferable that the pressure used to force the repair material into the mass be maintained for a period of time after a suiiicient amount of material has been forced into the structure. Accordingly, the valves 22 and 2| are provided on the nozzle and pipe line respectively, as shown in Fig. 6. The valve 22 is provided on the end of the nozzle, while the valve 2| is provided next to the end of the hose line adjacent the nozzle, so that when these Valves are closed the hose line may be disconnected from the nozzle and removed for attachment to other nozzles, and the nozzle may remain in the hole so that pressure may be maintained on the repair material while the repair material sets. After the repair material has been allowed to set for a suicient length of time, a hole is drilled through-.a portion of the mass or structure, which has just been filled, to the next depth level, where the process may be repeated.

Fig. 4 shows a portion of the region of earth, rock or porous structure after treatment at the second depth level. The process of drilling, washing, testing, lling, and redrilling is continued until substantially the entire mass has been treated. After one or more of the holes has been drilled and the region adjacent the hole has been treated to a sufcient depth, the hole may be filled with the repair material to render this structure solid, as shown in Fig. 5. It should be noted in Fig. 5 that the voids of the mass have been lled down to the bedrock A and further that interstices in the bedrock may be treated at the same time.

The pressure required to drive moisture out of the mass being treated. and also to force the repair material into the mass, varies with the mass being treated. If the mass has relatively few voids and air pockets, as is evidenced by a high pressure for a given ow 0f Washing fluid,

higher pressures are required to ll the inter. stices although the amount of material needed is less, and it follows that with a mass containing a relatively large number of voids the required pressure is decreased and the required amount of repair material is increased. The pressures used ordinarily vary from about 50 to 500 lbs. or even higher, depending n the specic job. For ordinary purposes a small compressor will be satisfactory. In case a pressure greater than approximately 125 lbs. per square inch is desired, a hydraulic compressor may be used to advantage. It is often desirable to use apump in forcing the repair material into the mass, and for this purpose any suitable pump (not shown) may be connected in the line 6 between the gun and the nozzle to insure that repair material is forced into the voids and interstices of the mass. An advantage of using a pump such as a displacement pump to force the repair material into the mass is that as the ow of repair material decreases the force exerted by the pump automatically increases until repair4 material is forced into the finer voids and interstices. Also, the use of a pump rather than compressed air to force repair material minimizes the possibility of the presence of air pockets in the mass.

When the mass undergoing treatment has a relatively low structural strength, it has been found desirable to vary the pressure by which the repair materialy is forced into the mass at the various depth levels. For example, in the' case of a mass of earth and rock which is to be treated for foundation purposes, the desired holes may be formed in the mass to relatively short depth, such as 2 or 3 feet, and repair material pumped into the mass at a relatively low pressure, such as about 60 lbs. per square inch. After the repair material has set for suilicient time and the holes have been redrilled to a further depth increment, the region surrounding the continuations of the holes may be filled with repair material at an increased pressure, and thev process O f drilling and forcing repair material may be repeated at various depth levels, forcing the repairing material at such increased pressure as the treating is done at lower and lower depths of the mass. 1n this manner there is no danger of causing an upheaval at the surface of the mass due to the use of too great a pressure. 'As the depth at which treatment takes place increases, the mass is better able to withstand higher pressures without danger of injury to the mass. This feature of the present invention is also very important in the treatment of concrete structures and the like which have becom disintegrated.

In carrying out the present invention it is usually desirable that the repair material used have a relatively high plasticity and fluidity. In this way pressure losses through the apparatus are reduced and the material may be forced through the hose lines without plugging. Further, the material may be readily forced thoroughly into the voids and interstices of the mass to more effectively fill such voids rand render the mass dense and solid. An example of a repair material composition wmmnmave Sifxfiateiais sierras; 'romani-c 'materias olfthraterials bhaving acidic colloidal silica. Examplesigiihseaie'watrueiied lil "si furl hagelslag and-tigaslinllese matrialsetaru the gelatin of cement, and thereby permit the repair material to flow throughout the small voids and interstices before solidication. 'Ihe mixture also preferablyoontains an oleaginous materialfilding the fatty a'id'glycefids'the fatty' acidsthemselveritljigsalts"andesters th-QQL TCWQT 1.3i... thef aai-'idf 619.31595- Thes materials ic ase vb11 y o 1 r tend to kee theA sus en;

rially and therefore keeps the voids and inter- COA UNG OR PLASTlC @ross Reference stices filled, preventing leakage or seepage through the mass.

Another repair material, which may be used when it is not necessary that the repair material add strength to the structure, comprises a nonaqueous waterproofing composition containing a water insoluble binding material, such as a bitumen oil or rosin oil, a resin, or other organic binding material which preferably is unsaponiable and does not harden suiiiciently to become brittle, an inert filler such as fullers earth, powdered limestone, etc., and a compatible thinner, such as mineral spirits, turpentine, heavy benzine, or the like. When such a plastic material is forced into the mass, the volatile materials are dissipated through `the porous surfaces of the passages through which the material is forced, leaving a viscous tacky mass which serves as an effective sealing medium for the mass, even though there is movement of portions of the mass due to settling, expansion, contraction, or the like. The constituents of this plastic composition may be varied to provide a repair material, which when dried has the desired amount of hardness or plasticity, and which effectively seals the strata from the action of water, etc.

When a porous mass is treated according to the above described process in which the pressure at which the repair material is forced is varied at different depths of the mass, the nature of the process produces a mass the voids and interstices of which have been lled throughout the region treated. The resistance to weathering of such a mass is thereby greatly increased. When the repair material is one containing one or more hydraulic materials, the .region may be solid and dense, and substantially impervious to deteriorating substances.

It is to be understood that the particular form of the invention shown and described, and the particular procedure set forth, are presented for purposes of explanation and illustration, and that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is:

1. The process of solidifying and densifying masses of earth, rock, concrete, and the like, which masses have a relatively low structural strength, which comprises forming a hole in said mass to a relatively short depth, anchoring a nozzle in said hole, forcing repair material through the nozzle and into the region surrounding said hole at a relatively low pressure to ll the natural voids in communication with said hole, allowing said repair material to set, forming said hole to a further depth. anchoring the nozzle in said hole, forcing repair material through the nozzle and into the region surrounding said hole at an increased pressure to cause permeation through a greater region of the mass being solidified, and repeating said operations of forming the hole, anchoring the nozzle, and forcing repair material at successive depth levels of said mass while progressively increasing the pressure at which repair material is introduced.

2. The process of solidifying and densifying vmasses of earth, rock, concrete, and the like, which comprises forming a hole in the mass to a relatively short predetermined depth, forcing washing liquid through said hole to determine Ythe character of voids within the region of the hole, displacing the Washing liquid 'from the region of the hole with a compressed gas, forcing repair material into the region surrounding said hcle at a relatively low pressure and Without releasing the gas pressure, forming said hole to a further depth, forcing additional repair material into the region surrounding said hole at an increased pressure, and repeating the Steps of forming the hole and forcing repair material into the mass at successive depth levels while progressively increasing the pressure by which the repair material is forced.

3. The process of solidifying and densifying masses of earth, rock, concrete, and the like, which masses have a relatively low structural strength. which comprises forming a hole in said mass to a relatively short depth, anchoring a nozzle in said hole, forcing readily owable repair material containing Portland cement, a finely divided chemically active silicious material, and an oleaginous material, through the nozzle and into the region surrounding said hole at a relatively low pressure to ll the natural voids in communication with said hole, allowing the repair material to set, forming said hole to a further depth, anchoring the nozzle in said hole, forcing repair material through the nozzle and into said hole at an increased pressure to cause permeation through a greater region of the mass being solidified, and repeating said operations of forming .the hole, anchoring the nozzle, and forcing repair material into said mass at successive depth levels While progressively increasing the pressure at Which repair material is forced. l

4. The process of Weatherproong masses of earth, rock, concrete, and the like, which masses have a relatively low structural strength, which comprises forming a hole in said mass to a relatively short depth, anchoring a nozzle in said hole, forcing a non-aqueous repair material containing a water insoluble unsaponii'lable binding material which is soluble in organic solvents, a pulverized substantially inert filling material, and a compatible thinner, through the nozzle and into the region surrounding said hole at a relatively low pressure, forming said hole to a further depth, anchoring the nozzle in said hole, forcing repair material through the nozzle and into said hole at an increased pressure to cause permeation through a greater region of the mass being solidified, and repeating said operations of forming the hole, anchoring the nozzle, and forcing repair material at successive depth levels of said mass while progressively increasing the pressure at which repair material is forced.

5. The process of solidifying and densifying masses of earth, rock, concrete, and the like,

- which comprises forming a hole in the mass to a relatively short predetermined depth, forcing washing liquid through said hole to determine the character of the voids in the region adjacent thereto, selecting a repair material having the desired amount of water present to give it a suitable consistency for the character of voids to be filled, such repair material having relatively high flowability and being a relatively stable suspension, forcing such material into the region surrounding said hole at a pressure suitable for the strength of the material being solidified, forming said hole to further depth, forcing additional repair material into said hole at an in creased pressure to cause permeation through a greater region of the mass being solidified, and repeating the steps of forming holes and forcing the material at successive depth levels at increased pressure.

6. 'I'he process of solidifying and densifying masses of earth, rock, concrete, and the like,

Examiner which comprises forming a hole in the mass to a relatively short predetermined depth, forcing repair material into the region surrounding said hole at a relatively low pressure to ll the n'atural voids in communication with said hole, allowing said repair material to set, forming said hole to a further depth, forcing additional repair material into said hole at an increased pressure to cause permeation through a greater region of the mass being solidified, allowing said repair material to set, and repeating the steps of forming the hole and forcing repair material at successive depth levels of the mass while progressively increasing the pressure at which the repair material is introduced.

7. The process of solidifying and densifying masses of earth, rock, concrete, and the like, which comprises forcing a hole in said mass to a relatively short depth, forcing repair material containing Portland cement, a finely divided filler containing acidic colloidal silica to retard gelation of the cement, and a member of the group consisting of fatty acids and derivatives thereof, through the nozzle and into the region surrounding said hole at a relatively low pressure to fill the natural voids in communication with said hole, allowing said repair material to set, forming said hole to a further depth, anchoring the nozzle in said hole, forcing repair material through the nozzle and into the region surrounding said hole at an increased pressure to cause permeation through a greater region of the mass being solidified, and repeating said operations of forming the hole, anchoring the nozzle, and forcing repair material at successive depth levels of said mass while progressively increasing the pressure at which repair material is introduced.

LOUIS S. WERTZ. 

